I think she is trying to get a stronger mandate from the people and overcome the opposition & obstacles that Labour and the Lib Dems will otherwise bring into play along the way of the Brexit negotiations and the now required final vote (in parliament).

If she gets a landslide majority, then she will have the power, it will be very clear that the people have spoken, and it will have put any dissenters (from her own or other parties and from the unelected House of Lords) firmly in their places, (if they still have places/"seats" after the General Election); and she can play the negotiations her way, - hard or soft Brexit.

Labour under Corbin are currently weak and disorganised, so I suppose she is seeking to capitalise on that opportunity, and maybe even get the "Wicked Witch" (Nicola Sturgeon) off her back.

arjay wrote:I think she is trying to get a stronger mandate from the people and overcome the opposition & obstacles that Labour and the Lib Dems will otherwise bring into play along the way of the Brexit negotiations and the now required final vote (in parliament).

If she gets a landslide majority, then she will have the power, it will be very clear that the people have spoken, and it will have put any dissenters (from her own or other parties and from the unelected House of Lords) firmly in their places, (if they still have places/"seats" after the General Election); and she can play the negotiations her way, - hard or soft Brexit.

Labour under Corbin are currently weak and disorganised, so I suppose she is seeking to capitalise on that opportunity, and maybe even get the "Wicked Witch" (Nicola Sturgeon) off her back.

I just hope it doesn't go wrong!

That just about sums it up, a gamble but if she wins and I am pretty sure she will it will be the end of Corbyn and more rangling in "his" party, and over the border voters will have a chance to get rid of the Sturgeon woman whose only concern is not the countries welfare but her own attempt to be someone. A huge number don't want separation from the UK and they now know a vote for her is a vote for independence which they don't want .They will see this as a referendum issue and vote accordingly.Two birds with one stone and they know it .Go Theresa, a 100+ majority please , it will help all us poor pensioners with a better exchange rate .

Yes,I think Theresa May wants a clear mandate as she has never won a General Election and is just an elected leader for the Tories.
Labour are an absolute shambles and will be blown out of the water.It would be nice if the Scots made Nicola Sturgeons position untenable,too.
The Lib-Dems could well increase their vote but that would be more about disillusioned Labour and Tory voters voting for them.Its certainly not anything to do with the amazing policies they have.

Just when I thought our chance had passed,you go and save the best for last.

The pound rose strongly and share prices in London fell sharply after Theresa May announced plans to call a general election on 8 June.
Sterling had fallen before the statement, but it quickly recovered following Mrs May's announcement.
The pound charged 2.2% higher at $1.2846 and rose 1.4% against the euro to 1.1968 euros.
On the stock market, the benchmark FTSE 100 share index fell 180 points, or 2.5%, to 7,148.
That left the blue-chip index at its lowest level for nearly 10 weeks and meant the FTSE 100 was just 0.2% higher than at the start of the year.
The FTSE 100 had already been lower ahead of Mrs May's announcement, with shares in mining companies suffering some of the biggest falls due to lower iron ore prices.
But the increase in the pound hit the FTSE down further as many of the companies listed on the index make most of their revenues abroad.
A stronger pound cuts the value of these revenues when they are converted back into sterling, meaning lower profits.

Laith Khalaf of Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Currency markets have roared their approval for a snap UK election, with the pound enjoying strong gains against the dollar and the euro.
"The fall in the stock market is not a negative response to the UK election per se, rather it is a knock-on effect of a surging pound, combined with price falls in some key commodity markets, all of which has taken its toll on the heavyweights of the FTSE 100 index."The rise in sterling took it to its highest point for 10 weeks, although the pound still remains well below levels seen before the UK's Brexit vote last June.
One of Europe's largest investment banks, Deutsche Bank, said the news of the forthcoming UK election meant it would not be so downbeat about the outlook for the UK and its currency.
"It makes the deadline to deliver a 'clean' Brexit without a lengthy transitional arrangement after 2019 far less pressing given that no general election will be due the year after," its analysts said.

Gosh,phrases like "surging pound" and "pound soars"........Its 44.07 Thai baht to the pound this morning......I might be able to afford a chicken steak in Santa Fe this lunchtime now.....still some way to go to my "break even" target of 70,though ! :-"

Just when I thought our chance had passed,you go and save the best for last.

May will undoubtedly win big because the only Brexit opposition are the Liberal democrats, Remainers have a Hobson's choice there. Labour will loose a LOT of seats as no real position on Brexit but Liberals could get as many as 30.
Just coincidence? But a few hours after May's announcement a report was released that 27 Conservative MP's are being formally investigated for electoral expenses fraud in 2015. If they had to stand down the Conservative majority would have been lost. How to bury bad news and profit from it!

Zidane wrote:...
Labour are an absolute shambles and will be blown out of the water.It would be nice if the Scots made Nicola Sturgeons position untenable,too.
...

Just listened to Kezia Dugdale being torn a new bunghole by a rather tenacious morning news show host on BBC Radio Scotland. She was repeatedly unable to say where the additional funds that Scottish Labour is promising the electorate would come from and frankly avoided nailing any sort of colours to anything resembling a mast.

Nope... no credible opposition to the SNP from them (again) and I doubt the Tories have anyone willing to stick their head above the parapet either.

Well the anti-EU force that many said would rise in Europe after the Brexit vote have failed to materialise.
First Holland & now France have firmly rejected their Exiter politicians. In Germany's northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday Chancellor Angela Merkel's party defeated all & actually increased their vote from the 2012 election. That is her second success out of 2 in regional elections held so far this year.

The up & coming British election looks like being a Conservative landslide, with Labour & UKIP taking a pounding, if last week's local election results are any indication.

So the negotiations look like they will now be between a very pro-EU European team & a 'stop Immigration at all costs' UK team.
That does not bode too well for many compromises on the tricky Economic questions to be resolved. A 'no deal' after 2 years' of negotiation, stagnation & UK economic uncertainty is looking more likely by the day.

It must be obvious to everyone now our so called "true" friends in Europe are showing their true colours with every bitter remark and demand for compensation they are sounding more like the ex in a bitter divorce battle wanting revenge and doing everything to destroy the departing partner .They are not considering at all, not only the effect on us but just as importantly themselves .I have been through two divorces both were discussed and settled amicably and we are still good friends that can turn to the other for help if needed.That should be the attitude now , okay we can't live together but lets part on the best of terms for us both , not the petty snide remark about trivial things like what we had for dinner, that solves nothing but increases the bad feeling and shows to my mind they really do care about us leaving , they are hurting in their hearts and it's poisoning their words.Okay we must play the same game, take what we are offering as fair compensation or get nothing .

To say that the talks have been going less than well would be the understatement of the year.
I think this turnaround makes the chances of the United Kingdom leaving Europe with no deal an ever increasingly likely scenario.

Despite what some hard Brexiters claim, I think this would be a disaster.
It would just mean that the UKs' position with Europe would carry on being negotiated way after 2019. Instead of everyone understanding where they were (for better or worse) the uncertainty would just drag on & on.

The only disaster comes from an unaccountable 'APPOINTED' EU elite (lol) leadership. The EU concept was very good, but it has been hijacked by wasteful buraucrats with a socialist agenda, who do not give a damn to the wishes and aspirations of Europeans. The waste has got to stop. UK plc will thrive without the red tape.

You do realise that the Great Repeal Bill only replaces the European Communities Act.
Every law that has been introduced via the EU over the last 40 years is just transposed into UK law.
There is absolutely no replacement of any 'red tape' .
Indeed unless some sort of understanding can be reached with the EU on trade a huge amount of additional red tape - concerning customs duty & quotas - will result to any UK business wishing to export (or import) goods & services...

Even this new law on allowing Parliament to vote is one sided, Apparently the only options are accept the deal or hard Brexit. The agenda is still being dominated by Brexit fanatics who do not care how much economic damage is done to fulfil their wet dreams. And the money markets are jittery because they expect May's government will fall soon as she has no control over her ministers. One thing for sure, the first half of 2018 is going to be a new low for the UK.

People really do need to be more positive. The sad whinging of the remoaners. If you listen to these people the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 5th largest economy in the world, cannot survive if it is not tied to the apron strings of the greedy, parasitical, totally corrupt and anti-democratic EU.
The biggest mistake the UK made was joining the then EEC. No loss of sovereignty we were told. We were lied to. Even then the powers that be knew where it was heading.
We will continue to trade with the countries of the EU, because it's their interests to do so. China, India, the USA, all do massive trade with the EU, no trade deal.
Every single thing that project fear told us would happen, and are still telling us, has proven to be false. We have nothing to fear.
I refer you to this article for a more positive outlook.https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/87974 ... -Rees-Mogg
We need a bit of Moggmentum.

Every single thing that project fear told us would happen, and are still telling us, has proven to be false. We have nothing to fear.

Given that Brexit has not yet happened I wonder exactly which Remainer claims you feel have failed to materialise Adhoc?

1. The pound remains at 80% of its' value before the vote...
2. Negotiations with the EU are proving to be far, far more difficult than the Brexiters were claiming before the vote. Nearly 9 months into the exercise & zero progress....